Contract Foodservices – Festival Or Mobile Catering Use Of Wet And Dry Rubs

As a company providing contract foodservices for decades to some of the most recognized companies around the country, we know that those who participate in festival or mobile catering are passionate about what they do. Whether at a spring or summer festival, company picnic, family reunion or other event, you want your mobile cuisine to be just as amazing as those foods clients would choose from the menu if they were dining in a fine restaurant. This is where we come in!

Mobile catering and festival catering often include lots of grilled options from chicken and fish to barbecue ribs, shrimp, and even grilled vegetables in some cases. Most “grill masters” are familiar with wet and dry rubs used to enhance flavor, create a crust, or a combination of both – but do you really know how to use it? Salt and pepper is great, but it really doesn’t “cut the mustard,” so to speak, when you run a mobile cuisine business!

If your idea of a wet rub is pouring out a bottled barbecue sauce and spreading it around on the meat, it’s time to expand your talents a bit more. Additionally, there are some foods that work best with dry rubs, others with wet, depending on whether the food is cooked fast or slowly. In most cases a gas grill cooks at a higher temperature, and therefore is great for foods that cook fast and tend to get tough or dry if cooked too long, such as chicken and shrimp.

What are dry rubs best used for in grilling? As mentioned above, foods that cook fairly fast can go from average to awesome with the addition of a dry rub. Chicken breasts, shrimp, and fish become amazing when you use the right rub before grilling.

Wet rubs are ideal for foods that you intend to cook slowly, giving it flavor throughout. Meats that love a wet rub and benefit from the moisture that gets drawn in during cooking include bone-in chicken, pork chops, and baby back or spare ribs. Can you picture the sumptuous glaze on those perfectly browned spare ribs as you take them off the grill?

Now, about vegetables. In most cases it’s best to use a wet rub if you’re grilling zucchini, portabella mushrooms, green/red peppers, or other vegetables that don’t require a lot of time on the grill, as dry rubs aren’t known for their ability to stick or adhere to most vegetables.

The great thing about both wet and dry rubs is there’s no limit to the flavors you can create! Mixing various herbs and spices for a wonderful dry rub is easy, whether you include lemon pepper, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, sage, lemon zest, or other ingredients – and there are endless recipes for dry rubs you can find online. A wet rub is basically the same principle, however you will need to add one or more liquids such as honey, lime juice, bourbon, wine, olive or sesame oil, or a combination of your favorites, to create a distinctive and delicious taste.

Hopefully these tips will help you become the best known festival or mobile catering company in your area! Roll up your sleeves and dive in; you’ll create magic with wet and dry rubs.

At Gourmet Services, Inc. we strive for excellence in everything we do. If you’re in search of a contract foodservices company who believes in quality, fresh foods and healthy menu options, contact us today!